Thrilling Fourth-Quarter Comeback Lifts Yale to 23-22 Win at Columbia

Adam Money. (photo by Kevin McCarthy)

Oct 31, 2009

Bulldogs Score Three Touchdowns in Final Quarter for
Win

NEW YORK - Senior tight end A.J. Haase's
10-yard touchdown catch with 58 seconds to play -- Yale's third
touchdown of the fourth quarter -- capped an improbable Bulldog
comeback and finished off a 23-22 win at Columbia Saturday
afternoon. The Elis got turnovers on Columbia's final three drives
of the game, plus a touchdown-saving tackle from junior cornerback
Adam Money, to pull out the victory after trailing by 12 points
with just over six minutes left.

"That was probably the craziest game I've ever been a part of,"
said senior H-back John Sheffield, who had five of his game-high
seven catches in the final quarter to help the Bulldogs rally. "We
just wouldn't be denied, regardless of what happened."

Coming off a tough 9-0 loss at Penn the week before, the
Bulldogs started slow on Saturday. The lone highlight of a
scoreless first quarter was a 65-yard punt by senior
punter/placekicker Tom Mante that sent Columbia receiver Austin
Knowlin racing back to try to catch the ball; Knowlin bobbled the
ball and had to fall on it back at the Columbia seven.

The Lions had good field position to start their fourth drive of
the game, taking over at their own 42 after a Yale punt, but that
drive stalled thanks to great back-to-back defensive plays. First,
senior outside linebacker Travis Henry chased down running back
Zack Kourouma from behind for no gain on second down. Then,
sophomore linebacker Jordan Haynes got a seven-yard sack on third
down to force a punt.

Columbia got the first turnover of the game, recovering a Yale
fumble at the Bulldog 36. The Lions took advantage on the next
play, executing a flea-flicker for a touchdown from quarterback
Sean Brackett to receiver Taylor Joseph. Yale answered thanks to a
48-yard kickoff return by Money that started the offense at the
Columbia 47. Eight plays later junior placekicker Alex Barnes came
on for his first career field goal, a 47-yarder as time expired in
the half.

"Kicking the field goal right before halftime was a good
emotional lift for the team," said Tom Williams, Yale's Joel E.
Smilow '54 Head Coach of Football.

The Lions' first drive of the second half ended at the Yale 41
when sophomore defensive lineman Jake Stoller came up with a big
tackle amidst a pile of players on fourth and inches, but Columbia
turned another Yale fumble into another touchdown at 2:44 of the
third. Right after getting the ball at the Eli 31 Brackett found
tight end Adam Kennedy wide open down the right sideline for the
score. Brackett then dashed into the end zone for a two-point
conversion that made the score 14-3 Columbia.

Brackett (10-19, 180 yards, three touchdowns) and running back
Leon Ivery (16 carries, 127 yards) both filled in impressively for
the injured starters they were replacing (M.A. Olawale and Ray
Rangel, respectively). But in the end it was not enough for
Columbia (2-5, 1-3 Ivy League). The Bulldogs began their comeback
on a drive that featured some great efforts by the receiving corps.
First, junior Peter Balsam fought his way for extra yardage to get
a 15-yard completion on third-and-nine from the Yale 40. Two plays
later Sheffield also battled through a series of tackles for a
17-yard gain to the Lion 24.

"Some of the route concepts we had called in the first half
didn't take advantage of Sheffield and the positions that he was
in," said Williams. "He's dangerous. Not only does he have great
hands, but he also has the ability to break tackles and he gets a
lot of those yards after catch. That hidden yardage often makes a
big difference at the end of the game, which it did today."

After a four-yard run by Thomas, sophomore quarterback Patrick
Witt rifled a pass down the middle that Sheffield dove to catch
just as he crossed the goal line for a 20-yard touchdown with 11:57
to play. That was Yale's first offensive touchdown since the
Dartmouth game three weeks earlier.

"The past few weeks we've been putting a lot of pressure on
ourselves to get out there and make plays," Witt said. "That last
quarter, we were just out there having fun."

Columbia answered with a touchdown drive of its own, with
Brackett launching a 32-yarder to Knowlin with 8:32 left. The drive
almost ended six plays earlier, but Brackett's fumble bounced right
to him and he turned it into a nine-yard gain to the Yale 45.

Witt got hot in the fourth quarter, and at one point had eight
straight completions. That included a nine-yarder to Sheffield,
following a 26-yarder to Haase, that set up a five-yard touchdown
run by sophomore tailback Alex Thomas that got Yale within 22-17
with 6:05 to play.

Witt had come on to start the second half in relief of junior
quarterback Brook Hart, who was 9-for-15 for 64 yards. Witt
finished 14-for-23 for 166 yards.

"We didn't think [Hart] was seeing the field as well as we would
have liked," said Williams. "We thought we'd give Pat an
opportunity to go out there so Brook could watch from the sideline
and see a different picture. Sometimes that helps a quarterback to
be able to see it. Then Pat got hot and of course we wanted to ride
the hot hand."

Money made a game-saving play by racing back to tackle Ivery at
the Yale two at the end of a 75-yard run. The play became even
bigger when senior linebacker Paul Rice forced a fumble on the next
play and junior outside linebacker Sean Williams recovered at the
Yale five.

"That saved the game," Rice said of Money's play. "It was a
great hustle play. Adam's one of those kids that never gives up on
a play. That's a testament to the type of player he is."

After a Yale punt the Bulldogs generated another key turnover,
as Money stripped the ball from Brackett at the end of a seven-yard
run and recovered the fumble at the Yale 49.

"I was able to hit him from the side and my hand just happened
to get around the end of the football," Money said. "I just pulled
it out. The ball was a little wet and slippery [from the rainy
conditions]."

The Bulldogs got a first down on a fourth-and-one at the
Columbia 20 thanks to a Lion defensive holding penalty, and on the
next play Witt found Haase in the left corner of the end zone with
58 seconds left. The two-point conversion pass was incomplete, but
Yale had a 23-22 lead.

Senior strong safety Marcus Wallace sealed the win with his
first career interception, picking off Brackett on first down and
giving the Bulldogs the ball at the Columbia 35. Yale then ran out
the clock on its eighth straight win over the Lions.

Rice finished with a game-high 14 tackles, including two for a
loss. Despite the stunning way it happened, the Yale captain said
he always knew what the end result was going to be.

"I felt we were going to win the entire time," Rice said. "We
came out in the second half with real purpose."